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Sun of Shadows/Chapter 4
This is the fourth chapter in Sun of Shadows and the fourth in part one, Light. An Incredible Discovery The Plain of Lumeon! Iris wanted nothing more than to jump on Shimmer's back and explore every corner of this legendary place. She didn't care what time it was, after all, she was still able to see. That couldn't stop her. But she would have to leave the others behind - and the times when she had stormed off on her own, like she had at the Ore Tribe, were over. This was their shared adventure. Their common goal they had been working for for months. They had arrived together, so that's how they would experience everything that followed. "We should finally go to sleep," Sedna decided and suddenly Iris realized how tired she actually was. The excitement of the last few hours had completely suppressed all of that. "Good idea," she said, yawning. "Let's find a place to sleep." "Not necessary. This beach will be enough. I will make sure nothing happens to you." Acquois, the mighty Keeper of Water, spoke to them again. He was now the second Keeper she'd had the honor of meeting, but he was so different from Aricel. Both were dignified, majestic creatures - but Acquois spoke with the wisdom of the oceans, while Iris had the feeling that Aricel was surrounding by a somewhat self-centered aura. What was Geb thinking about Terrai, his own Keeper, right now? Polite as he was, Geb thanked Acquois first. He wanted to wade the last few feet to the beach, but the Keeper beat him to it... by sending them to the beach with a huge wave. Coughing, Iris shook herself to dry her feathers. Not that she could fly like Shimmer, but she could have lived without soaked feathers. "I think Iris and Shimmer would rather have flown to the beach," Karzelek said, who had nothing to absorb water other than his clothes. The lucky guy. "We'll be fine," she replied, so as not to offend Acquois. "We'll just look for something to eat, then we're going to sleep anyway." Karzelek nodded in relief. "And tomorrow..." Geb beamed and the magical glow of the plain made him look even more excited. "Tomorrow we'll find the Hero of Light." --- Nobody needed to be woken up. Even Geb and Boulder, who usually slept the longest, were already full of energy at sunrise. None of them could wait to explore the plain. To find the Hero of Light and save all of Elysia from the darkness. Sounded pretty simple. But would it be that, too? "Can you tell us where to find the Hero of Light?" Geb asked Acquois as they all got ready to leave. "Or tell us their name?" "Lumeon has always kept this information to himself. But I am sure you just have to come across one Elm and they will undoubtedly show you the way." "Sounds logical," Iris put in. "Surely everybody here knows the chosen one." "Give Lumeon my regards," Acquois said before letting himself be carried back into deeper water by the waves. "Until next time." "Does that mean we'll see him again?", Iris asked as soon as Acquois disappeared and she could no longer ask him. Geb shrugged. "He knows better than us. So, are we going?" "We don't know what to expect," Sedna mused. "Iris, find out if there's a path through the forest somewhere. We have to get through there if we want to go to the mountain - and I prefer paths to the undergrowth." "Do we want to go to the mountain?" "I'm in favor," Karzelek said, unsurprisingly. "But if you see something else from above, that's fine too, of course." Iris nodded. "Well then, see you soon!" "Stay close!", Geb shouted after her when she had already risen to the skies. It looked as though the Plain of Lumeon was an island or at least a peninsula, with "plain" being an exaggeration anyway, considering the huge mountain ahead. They flew along the shore, watching for everything about the forest next to them that might indicate a road or anyone living here. But there was no visible path, no clouds of smoke or large buildings. Disappointed, they landed again. "Isn't looking good," she informed the others. "No sign of anything. You'll have to try your luck in that forest, I fear." "You're coming with us," Sedna said immediately. "If you're above the trees, we could lose each other. It's better we stay together." She had to agree with that. "Fine." At least there was enough room between the trees for Shimmer not to fly, but to flutter for short distances. Iris, on the other hand, was walking with her friends, only Karzelek and Four-Leaf were sitting on Boulder's back as they often did. "What do Light Elmen look like, anyway?", the Ore Elm asked amidst the silence of the forest. Iris thought of all the stories she had heard as a child. Even the Crows knew the legends. Unlike the Ore Tribe, where light and shadow had been ignored for centuries. "They have wings," she explained. "Like the Shadows, just not as ominous. Bird wings." "Pure white skin and markings like liquid gold," Geb quoted. "At least that's what they say," Sedna said, unconvinced. "As far as I know, nobody's seen any Elmen of Light in hundreds of years. Who knows what's really true about them at all." "Then we're the first?" Karzelek lowered his voice. "Wow." "Maybe we'll become famous," Iris said. "Because we made the Hero of Light stop the Shadows." "As if anyone's going to care about that." Sedna used her hunting knife to cut through plants blocking their path. At least this forest wasn't actually conscious like the home of the tribe they had recently met. That was the last thing they needed... "Don't imagine too much. Only the one who's in the prophecy will be celebrated." "I don't need that much fame anyway," Geb said. "It's enough that we know what we've done." "What we will do," Sedna corrected him. "We have to actually find the chosen one first." Iris absently kicked a rock in front of her. "First we have to find something. I at least can't see anything except forest. Shouldn't we come across a settlement at some point? Or any other proof that someone lives here?" "Are you saying Acquois lied to us?" Irritated, Sedna turned around to her. "He saved your life." "One thing doesn't exclude the other," she replied, then raised her hands defensively. "I'm not questioning a Keeper. I'm just - and you know that pretty well - not exactly the most patient person." Geb stopped too, so they could catch up with him again. "It's true, I also imagined this place differently. Busier. But hey, Karzelek and I think it's getting a bit lighter over there. Maybe we're lucky and find a town." Little convinced, Iris followed the others - and soon after stared at the sight that presented themselves to them. Far above them, some trees were still shielding the place from the sky, but not enough to keep it hidden from above. They were buildings, seemingly hundreds, maybe even thousands of years old. Run-down, dilapidated ruins of gray stone that actually seemed to be the foundation of a whole settlement. Iris quickly recognized why she had missed the sight from above: the entire site was overgrown with ivy, and other plants had spread as well, making the buildings blend seamlessly into their surroundings. But while the Forest Tribe had deliberately designed its settlement with the plants in mind, here, there was no doubt. This hadn't been the intention. "Well," said Sedna, also overwhelmed by their discovery. "You were right. It really is a town." Karzelek hopped off Boulder's back and stroked some of the still exposed walls. Certainly the material reminded him of his own tribe. "Did the Tribe of Light live here?", he asked quietly, as if not to break the mystical aura of the site. "Maybe they aren't here anymore." "Well, certainly not here," Iris said, but his words made her ponder. What if it was true? What if the Tribe of light no longer existed? "Whatever happened here, it was a long time ago. Plants don't just grow from one day to the next. No one's been to this place for many years." "Sedna is right," Geb said confidently. "Surely that doesn't even have anything to do with Lumeon's Elmen. We talked to Acquois and Terrai and both would know if something terrible had happened." Iris watched Shimmer hopping around the ruins. The stone carried her weight well enough - like herself, the magpie was a master at keeping her balance. Karzelek had also let his companion go, so Four-Leaf soon caught up with Shimmer. Boulder looked almost wistful because he couldn't follow them. Geb nudged her. "Go on," he said. "You're pulling the same face as Boulder." "Thanks!", she grinned and raced after the two animals. Almost instinctively, she knew the places to hold on, and within a few seconds, she was balancing on a wall. Even from up here, she heard what the others were saying. "If she falls, that's your fault," Sedna said to Geb. "Have you ever seen her fall?" Only when it suddenly gets dark, she thought bitterly. But that couldn't happen to her here. Leaving her friends behind her, she gained on the companions who were currently on the opposite end of the roof of a long building. The roof was sloping and already had some holes from broken stones, but not big enough for Iris to fall through. Instead, she even used the holes to find support as she worked her way over to Shimmer and Four-Leaf. Then she broke in. "Iris!", she heard Geb call, but his voice was swallowed by the high walls of the building that now lay between them. She groaned and scrambled to her feet - nothing seemed to be broken, but it still hurt beastly. She was lucky that she had landed on something soft: an enormous pile of papers, scrolls and even canvasses, judging by the material. She wanted to reach for such a canvas, but they were too low down in the pile and would have made everything collapse. Iris chose one of the papers, but it just fell apart between her fingers. How old this stuff must be... and her fall had made everything worse. Half the pile would crumble at the next touch... hopefully it didn't include anything important. Iris ignored the pile and instead looked around the building itself. She had barely turned to the wall when she couldn't help but scream. "She's over there!", she heard Karzelek. "Iris, is everything okay?" That was Geb. The voices came closer. "Come and take a look at this!" It took a while, but then the others had found an entrance - or let Boulder make one. Iris herself was too fascinated to look away. "Over here!" "What is it?" Geb fell silent. They all held their breath. What they had in front of them was a kind of mural - or several that stretched all across the hall. Due to the decay of the building many places were already lined by cracks and the colors had faded, but one could still clearly see what the pictures were. Many of the paintings showed Elm-like creatures, but they couldn't be assigned to a tribe. They had neither the usual markings on their bodies, nor any other feature of an element. But they had hair on their heads like the Impures - except that wasn't what they were. Impures had dappled skin from which one could tell the tribes of their parents, but the skin of the drawn beings was pure. Lighter and darker shades of brown and also pale pink skin was what Iris could see. "The Old Civilization," Geb whispered in awe. But there were more beings, some of them the friends were all too familiar with. Iris recognized depictions of Shadows, sneaky and mischievous. In some pictures they were fighting, too: against beings with white skin and mighty white-gold wings that were surrounded by a wreath of light and in each of the duels had the upper hand. There were numerous depictions of the Elmen of Light worshiped by the Ancient Civilization, and Iris could hardly get enough of the paintings. Again and again she let her eyes wander over the walls - and caught a movement at the other end of the hall. Someone was watching her, but from that distance she saw nothing but the white skin of their face. For a moment their eyes met, but then the stranger had already vanished. "Hey!", she called after them and stormed off. "Come back!" "Iris, what -", Geb began, but she had no time for long explanations. "There's someone there!" That was explanation enough. She heard her friends following her, hoping that the stranger knew the place no better than she did. If he knew his way around, he was gone long before they found him. Iris ran through the corridors of the building as fast as she could without stumbling over fallen rocks. Again and again she saw one last bright spot, before the stranger turned a corner, so she was hot on their heels. As soon as they disappeared behind a wall, Iris heard a scream. She quickened her pace one last time, then reached the bend as well, noting that she'd found an exit. She cursed herself because the stranger had definitely escaped now - but that wasn't the case. In front of her was Shimmer, pushing someone down with all her weight and looking at Iris in triumph. Iris came to a stop and caught her breath, but still grinned. "Well done." She fell silent when she saw that under Shimmer's own wings, two more wings were twitching, almost as big as the magpie's - and pure white. Only then did Iris really realize who lay before here: it was an Elm of Light that Shimmer was pushing to the ground! She waited until Geb and the others had caught up with her, then quietly signaled them to surround Shimmer. Only when she was sure the stranger couldn't escape did she muster all her courage. "Let them go." Shimmer did as told and fluttered up to land beside Iris. She had thought the stranger would jump up and attack her, but they didn't. They just lay there shaking. Now Iris could see them better too: their skin was indeed white like the snow that fell at the Claws in winter, and they had blond - no, golden - shoulder-length hair, much neater and cleaner than that of the Impures. Their clothes were simple, a shirt and trousers, but by no means plain, for Iris recognized the precious fabric they were made of. In addition, the clothes had golden accents and, more importantly, two massive wings that penetrated them and lay flat on the ground. Didn't they want to get up at all? Iris decided to make the first move. "I apologize for my companion landing on you." She saw Sedna and Geb exchanging astonished looks. When it came to Elmen of Light, even Iris used a more formal language. "We do not intend to do anything to you." The stranger still made no sound. "What are we going to do now?", Geb asked. "Wait until they calm down?" Four-Leaf beat everyone to the answer. The goat ran to the stranger's head Iris couldn't see very well from her position except for the hair - and licked their face. The stranger laughed. A warm, hearty laugh that surprised Iris so much that she flinched. They weren't facing an adult, but a boy their age. So Iris could reduce her formality a bit, thank Aricel. The boy seemed to have forgotten his fear from before. He sat up, folding his wings as if it were natural, turning his back on Iris. She stepped closer to Sedna to see what was happening, and watched as the boy was completely engrossed in caressing Four-Leaf, which the goat visibly appreciated. Nobody interrupted him and Iris took the time to look at him further. The feathers on the underside of his wings were indeed golden, as were the markings on his skin. Unlike to Iris, he had no feathers and no scales like Sedna, but was like what they had seen in the paintings: a purified Impure with wings. Only after a few minutes did he suddenly look up, as if all at once aware of where he was. "Oh!", he exclaimed, startled. His voice was clear and bright, like his laughter. "This is your goat, isn't it?" "It's alright," Karzelek said, overwhelmed. They all had expected something more... imposing. Instead, this boy seemed strange, almost laughable. Iris decided that formalities were definitely not necessary here. The boy continued stroking Four-Leaf and hardly seemed to acknowledge the others' presence, he didn't look at anyone as he spoke. "You saw the ruins. What do you think of them?" "They're overwhelming." Sedna had apparently decided to submit to the circumstances. That was probably the best idea, so Iris did the same. "We've never seen anything like that." "Of course not," the boy answered indifferently. Was he becoming rude now? "It's the only one in Elysia." "Were there more in the past?", Geb asked. "When the Old Civilization still existed, of course." As long as he distracted himself with Four-Leaf, the boy was surprisingly talkative. "All of Elysia was full of their sites. Of course, this world was not called that way back then, only the Elmen gave it this name. When the Keepers reshaped the world, most of the sites were destroyed, as was anything else that came from the Ancient Civilization. They had completely eradicated this species, with their own consent, and only here on this island is there still a testimony of the Old World." Finally he looked up again, but past the friends into thin air. "Nobody cares anymore. The tribe itself has forgotten that these buildings exist. Lumeon as well." Iris came to the conclusion that he was either talking unnecessarily much or not at all. As interesting as Geb probably thought his words to be, she herself had significantly more interest in the present. "Do you know where we can find the Hero of Light?" "I don't know what Lumeon would say if I talked about the ruins. I don't think he cares. It's a pity, I think they should never have been destroyed. I - " "I asked you something!", Iris snapped unintentionally. She hated being ignored. The boy jumped and was silent for a moment. Great. "My apologies," he said finally, ashamed. "I didn't hear that." "That happens," Sedna said. "She wanted to know if you could take us to the chosen one." "The Hero of Light?", the boy asked. "What do you want from him?" What kind of question is that? But she kept that to herself. Geb took over: "It's about the prophecy." "Of course," the boy replied. "That's logical. I'll take you to Lumeon, he will know what to do." Iris felt her heart sink. Talking to the Hero of Light was one thing - but facing the by far most powerful being in Elysia? That hadn't been the plan. "He knows better than we do," Sedna whispered to her as the boy set off, still with Four-Leaf in his arms. At least he was considerate enough to take the path on foot. "He's weird," she replied just as quietly. "So unpredictable." "And everything we have." Sedna nudged her. "Do me a favor and at least pull yourself together with Lumeon. This is going to be important." "You don't say." Iris sighed and followed the strange Light Elm to a meeting with the most powerful being in the world. Category:Chapters Category:EE3 Chapters